Organic Free Range Human Thoughts

Big Left
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  • Entrepreneurship

Life is real. Business is real life. And b******t advice doesn’t apply. This is a business podcast that actually goes there—into growth, leadership, risk, and the parts no one wants to talk about without dressing it up in artificial, polished nonsense. Hosted by James Ellis, owner of Big Left—armed with more degrees than ABCs and a level of experience we’d die of old age trying to list—and Tabitha Starr, owner of Slight Look, MBA (currently residing on the floor of her closet), and proud former member of the dark side of business. This is a business podcast like no other. Leaders and entrepreneurs—gird your loins.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Is Your Business Idea Worth a Damn?

    Is Your Idea Worth a Damn? Today, we explore one that just might be.  In a world where AI is rapidly replacing jobs, how can humans still stand out?  Join us as we dive into the future of recruitment, questioning whether a high-touch, human-centric approach could be the key to success?? Discover why traditional AI tactics are failing and how personal touch and strategic relationships could unlock new opportunities.  This episode is perfect for entrepreneurs, job seekers, and companies eager to find quality talent beyond algorithms. Tune in to redefine how humans and machines collaborate in the workforce. And you can always follow James at https://www.instagram.com/big.left.consulting/ and visit his website at http://bigleft.com You can find Tabitha at  https://www.instagram.com/slight.look.official/ and visit her website at http://slightlook.com

    17 min

  2. Jun 15

    The Invasive Truth About AI in Everyday Life and Why It Involves Martha Stewart's New AI Company

    Most of us are unwittingly handing over our most private data to AI-driven apps that promise convenience but pose serious risks. Imagine an AI that not only manages your household chores but also reads your mail, analyzes your dirt, and knows everything about your home, even the mineral rights underneath it. It’s both a tech marvel and a privacy nightmare in the making. Tabitha and James peel back the curtain on Martha Stewart’s latest AI venture, Hint. Here’s the truth most tech enthusiasts overlook: the real benefit of AI is data collection. If you value your privacy, your sanity, and your digital freedoms, this episode is essential listening. You’ll learn how to spot the warning signs of invasive tech, understand the subtle power dynamics shaping online communities, and think critically about what you’re really giving away, before it’s too late. Perfect for skeptics, privacy advocates, and anyone curious about the real costs behind the convenience of AI home assistants. Expect shocking insights, dark humor, and practical takeaways, because understanding these risks is the first step to smarter, safer tech use. James: https://www.instagram.com/big.left.consulting/ Website: http://bigleft.com Tabitha:https://www.instagram.com/slight.look.official/ Website:http://slightlook.com

    28 min

  3. Jun 8

    How Recession Core Fashion Reflects Society’s Return to Scarcity and Survival

    Most of our everyday routines, unless we’re aware, are just rewired versions of trends from decades past, and the current cycle is speeding up fast. From fashion come-backs like Y2K styles and tiny eyebrows, to economic shifts that seem to echo the reckless gambling of the 90s, this episode pulls back the curtain on how cyclical behaviors and societal patterns are accelerating in our modern age. Join us as they unpack the surprising ways history repeats itself in fashion, finance, and even food. You'll discover how "recession core" fashion reflects a desire for simplicity amidst economic chaos, why the obsession with micro-management like microblading is a cost-saving tactic, and the real story behind the rise of gambling-style investing and its implications for your money. We break down how companies are adjusting their marketing strategies, like McDonald’s bundling high-protein, low-carb options, and how this reflects our shared effort to stretch every dollar in a squeezed economy. You'll also explore the psychological and cultural shifts fueling behaviors like nostalgia-driven fashion, the resurgence of thin eyebrows, and the obsession with body types tied to the Ozempic craze. Plus, why long-term relationships with clients beat chasing fleeting gigs in business, and how cyclical economic crashes are just speeding up, making understanding these patterns vital for survival and opportunity in today’s world. This episode is essential listening if you want to decode the hidden signals in society’s rehashed trends and learn how to position yourself ahead of the next cycle. Whether it’s fashion, finance, or personal resilience, understanding the accelerated rhythm of history can help you navigate chaos with confidence and even find opportunities others overlook. Perfect for entrepreneurs, investors, or anyone trying to make sense of today’s fast-changing world, this is the conversation that reveals how past behaviors shape future chaos, and how you can turn the cycle to your advantage. James: https://www.instagram.com/big.left.consulting/ Website: http://bigleft.com Tabitha: https://www.instagram.com/slight.look.official/ Website: http://slightlook.com

    18 min

  4. Jun 1

    How AI and Technology Are Eating Our Industry, Replacing Humans and Wrecking Relevance

    The The Devil Wears Prada 2 unexpectedly sent James and Tabitha down a rabbit hole about AI, social media, disappearing industries, and what happens when technology starts replacing the work humans used to do. From the decline of traditional media to the rise of automation, dopamine-driven content, and the pressure to stay relevant in an increasingly digital world, this episode explores the very real shifts happening around us—and what they mean for entrepreneurs, creatives, professionals, and everyday people. They discuss why everyone's attention seems to be shrinking, how AI is changing the workforce faster than most people realize, and why blindly outsourcing your thinking might not be the flex people think it is. This isn't a doom-and-gloom conversation about robots taking over. It's a candid discussion about adaptation, critical thinking, and protecting the skills that make us human in the first place. Whether you're a business owner, creative, professional, or simply trying to make sense of the digital circus, this episode will leave you looking at the future a little differently. James: https://www.instagram.com/big.left.consulting/ Website: http://bigleft.com Tabitha: https://www.instagram.com/slight.look.official/ Website: http://slightlook.com Show notes The concept of "brain rot" and its influence on attention spansThe transformation from physical magazines to digital media and its societal impactSatirical critique of capitalism and tech giants like Amazon, Jeff BezosThe influence of AI on industry relevance and job securityThe decline of print newspapers and magazines in the digital ageThe ethics and risks of trusting AI for strategic business decisionsThe saturation of clickbait and superficial content in online mediaThe resurgence of platforms like Tumblr and nostalgia for early internet communitiesThe dopamine cycle and the impact of social media algorithmsPotential ways to resist or overhaul digital dependency

    23 min

  5. May 25

    Overcoming the Permission Trap

    Ever notice how some of us wait for permission before making a move—permission to change, speak up, pivot, grow, or finally trust ourselves? In this episode, James and Tabitha unpack the “permission trap,” the childhood patterns and outside voices that can quietly shape our decisions long into adulthood. They get into decision paralysis, friendship dynamics during big life shifts, crab-bucket energy, entrepreneurship, and why the people around you can either expand your world or keep you playing small. A real conversation about trusting yourself, building stronger networks, and creating a life and business that doesn’t require a permission slip. Follow James on Instagram – Big Left Consulting and explore Big Left Follow Tabitha on Instagram – Slight Look and visit Slight Look

    19 min

  6. May 18

    Client Red Flags & Knowing When to Run

    And here's a tighter, friendlier description with more search-friendly language around entrepreneurs, boundaries, difficult clients, consulting, freelancing, and scope creep: Some clients are dream projects. Others show up waving red flags like they’re competing in the Olympics. In this episode, James and Tabitha swap unbelievable client stories and unpack the warning signs every entrepreneur, freelancer, and consultant needs to recognize before a project turns into a full-blown disaster. From scope creep and impossible expectations to boundary pushing, AI-generated nonsense, and clients looking for magic instead of strategy, they cover the patterns that can drain your energy fast. This conversation dives into difficult clients, trusting your gut, spotting burnout before it hits, and knowing when it’s time to gracefully walk away. Because protecting your time, boundaries, and sanity isn’t being difficult—it’s good business. Follow James on Instagram – Big Left Consulting and explore Big Left Follow Tabitha on Instagram – Slight Look Official and visit Slight Look

    23 min

  7. May 12

    How to Actually Build Your Strategic Roadmap

    Everyone has a plan until life asks you to write it down. In this episode, James Ellis and Tabitha Starr actually walk you through it, the real steps to building a strategic roadmap that works. And works for LIFE and WORK.  Keywords, frameworks, where AI fits in, and why most people skip the most important part before they even start. They also get into something nobody talks about enough, we might be the most therapized generation in history. We have read every book, listened to every podcast, consumed every framework. And somehow still don't have a plan… This one fixes that. What We Cover  ✦ The actual steps to building your strategic roadmap  ✦ The keywords that make it click ✦ How to use AI as a thinking partner (not a shortcut)  ✦ Why we know everything and plan nothing  ✦ Where most people get stuck (and how to get unstuck) And always you can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/big.left.consulting/ and visit his website at http://bigleft.com You can follow Tabitha https://www.instagram.com/slight.look.official/ and visit her website at http://slightlook.com

    1h 12m

  8. May 8

    Your Hourly Rate Is a Trap

    Hourly billing feels safe. It isn't. In this episode, James Ellis and Tabitha Starr get into why charging by the hour might be the thing quietly capping your income, your clients, and your sanity. Not because you're doing it wrong — but because the model itself is working against you. This one's for anyone who's ever finished a project in half the time and felt weirdly guilty about it. What We Cover ✦ Why hourly billing punishes you for being good ✦ What clients actually respond to (hint: not your hourly rate) ✦ Scope creep and how to kill it before it kills you ✦ Time-block method and why it works ✦ Pricing yourself like you mean it And always you can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/big.left.consulting/ and visit his website at bigleft.com you can follow Tabitha https://www.instagram.com/slight.look.official/ at and visit his website at slightlook.com

    56 min

  9. May 1

    Entrepreneurship Hurdles

    Nobody warns you about the body stuff. In this episode, James Ellis and Tabitha Starr start where most entrepreneurship conversations won't — your health, your coverage, and what happens when your physical reality crashes into your business reality. But this one goes deeper than healthcare. It's about all the stuff nobody puts in the "quit your job and follow your dreams" pitch. The broken systems. The expenses that don't care about your runway. The moments where being your own boss stops feeling like freedom and starts feeling like exposure. From waiting rooms to surprise surgeries to the creative (and sometimes desperate) ways people keep themselves afloat, James and Tabitha get into what it actually looks like when life throws the unglamorous stuff at you mid-build. Because entrepreneurship hurdles aren't always about your pitch deck. Sometimes they're just… your appendix. What We Cover ✦ Healthcare as the obstacle nobody factors in ✦ What people are actually doing to work around a broken system ✦ The real cost of freedom — beyond money ✦ When life-stuff and business-stuff collide and you have to figure it out anyway ✦ James's appendectomy. Tabitha's chaos. Real stories, no filter. Follow James @big.left.consulting Follow Tabitha @slight.look.official

    56 min

  10. Apr 23

    Boundaries, Blowups, and Bad Behavior

    In this episode, James Ellis and Tabitha Starr get into what happens when people in your business start acting… a little unhinged. We’re talking clients causing drama, employees testing every boundary you’ve ever set, and those moments where leadership stops being theoretical and gets very real, very fast. This isn’t about “keeping the peace.” It’s about knowing when to manage, when to correct, and when to shut it down entirely. Because not everyone deserves access to your business, your energy, or your space. We walk through real scenarios, hard decisions, and what it actually looks like to lead when things get messy. What We Cover ✦ Clients who cross the line (and what to do next) ✦ Employees acting sideways and how to handle it without losing control of your business ✦ The difference between conflict and straight-up toxicity ✦ Maintaining a strong, values-driven environment without becoming the “cool boss” who lets everything slide ✦ When it’s time to fix it… and when it’s time to end it James Ellis https://www.instagram.com/big.left.consulting/ Tabitha Starr https://www.instagram.com/slight.look.official/

    51 min

  11. Apr 16

    Why Your Prices Keep Backfiring

    Pricing sounds simple until you actually have to do it. In this episode, James Ellis and Tabitha Starr get into what pricing really touches: how you value your work, how your business is structured, and why most pricing problems aren’t actually about numbers. From building systems that support growth to understanding why your current pricing keeps attracting the wrong situations, this conversation breaks down what’s actually going on beneath the surface. Including the difference between the 50¢ wing night (IYKYK) version of your business… and the version that actually holds up when things scale. No Jims were harmed during this conversation—and yes, we support all feet pic entrepreneurs. A bit of reading for you Why Surface-Level Answers Miss the Point Follow James @big.left.consulting Follow Tabitha @slight.look.official

    1h 16m

  12. Apr 10

    Sometimes You Fail

    In this conversation, James Ellis and Tabitha Starr discuss the complexities of navigating failure in business, the importance of ethical practices, and the challenges of client management. They explore the concept of redlining from a business perspective, the dangers of hustle culture, and the necessity of finding a balance between work and rest. The discussion also touches on the transition from being a founder to a business owner, the value of teamwork, and the importance of creating a sustainable business roadmap.

    41 min
  • 12 Episodes

About

Life is real. Business is real life. And b******t advice doesn’t apply. This is a business podcast that actually goes there—into growth, leadership, risk, and the parts no one wants to talk about without dressing it up in artificial, polished nonsense. Hosted by James Ellis, owner of Big Left—armed with more degrees than ABCs and a level of experience we’d die of old age trying to list—and Tabitha Starr, owner of Slight Look, MBA (currently residing on the floor of her closet), and proud former member of the dark side of business. This is a business podcast like no other. Leaders and entrepreneurs—gird your loins.

Information

  • Creator
    Big Left
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Big Left